James Donald
Also Known As: Джеймс Дональд
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Donald (18 May 1917 - 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and gaunt, he specialised in playing authority figures; military officers, doctors or scientists. Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast. During World War II he appeared in minor roles in such propaganda classics as In Which We Serve (1942), Went the Day Well? (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944), and he played Mr. Winkle in the 1952 film version of The Pickwick Papers. However, leading roles eluded him until Lust for Life (1956), in which he played Theo Van Gogh. His work in the theatre included Noël Coward's Present Laughter (1943) which starred Coward himself, and The Eagle with Two Heads (1947), You Never Can Tell (1948), and The Heiress (1949) with Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and Donald Sinden. He memorably portrayed Major Clipton, the doctor who expresses grave doubts about the sanity of Col. Nicholson's (Alec Guinness) efforts to build the bridge in order to show up his Japanese captors, in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The final words are his: "Madness!, Madness!" He also played Group Captain Ramsey, the Senior British Officer in The Great Escape (1963), as well as supporting roles in other notable films both in Britain and the United States, including The Vikings (1958), King Rat (1965), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Donald starred in a 1960 television adaptation of A. J. Cronin's The Citadel and appeared regularly in many other television dramas in the UK and USA, as well as on stage. In 1961, he played Prince Albert opposite Julie Harris's Queen Victoria, in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Laurence Housman's play Victoria Regina. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Donald, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK
Birthday: May 18, 1917
Deathday: August 03, 1993
Adult: No
Gender: Male
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Known For:
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Overview: The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.
Genres: Drama History War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-10-11
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The Great Escape
Overview: The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.
Genres: Adventure Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1963-07-03
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Cast a Giant Shadow
Overview: An American Army officer is recruited by the yet to exist Israel to help them form an army. He is disturbed by this sudden appeal to his Jewish heritage. Each of Israel's Arab neighbors has vowed to invade the poorly prepared country as soon as partition is granted. He is made commander of the Israeli forces just before the war begins.
Genres: War Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-03-30
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The Citadel
Overview: The good doctor is on trial before the British Medical Association Council, if he is found guilty, he will no longer be allowed to practice medicine. The story unfolds through flashbacks which depict his career and his subsequent downfall.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-02-19
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Quatermass and the Pit
Overview: A mysterious artifact unearthed below a London subway station proves to have powerful psychic effects on the people around.
Genres: Science Fiction Horror Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-11-09
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The Way Ahead
Overview: A mismatched collection of conscripted civilians find training tough under Lieutenant Jim Perry and Sergeant Ned Fletcher when they are called up to replace an infantry battalion that had suffered casualties at Dunkirk.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-06-09
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Lust for Life
Overview: An intense and imaginative artist, revered Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh possesses undeniable talent, but he is plagued by mental problems and frustrations with failure. Supported by his brother, Theo, the tormented Van Gogh eventually leaves Holland for France, where he meets volatile fellow painter Paul Gauguin and struggles to find greater inspiration.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-09-15
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King Rat
Overview: When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, the Allied POWs, mostly British but including a few Americans, were incarcerated in Changi prison. Among the American prisoners is Cpl. King, a wheeler-dealer who has managed to establish a pretty good life for himself in the camp. King soon forms a friendship with an upper-class British officer who is fascinated with King's enthusiastic approach to life.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1965-10-27
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Beau Brummell
Overview: Captain George Bryan Brummell is a British soldier who appreciates fine clothing and innovative dress. Although he initially alienates the Prince of Wales with insulting comments about the prince's uniform designs, he eventually becomes his close confidant. Brummel also falls in love with the beautiful Lady Patricia Belham. However, his outspoken manner eventually leads to his being exiled to France.
Genres: Drama History Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1954-11-16
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Third Man on the Mountain
Overview: Third Man on the Mountain is an American film directed by Ken Annakin and produced by Walt Disney Productions, released in 1959. It is adapted from a novel by James Ramsey Ullman, entitled "Banner In The Sky". In the middle of the 19th century in Switzerland, a famous British mountaineer, Captain John Winter, wanted to climb a difficult summit, the Citadel. He goes to a small village but no guide wants to accompany him. A young man from the village, Rudi Matt, whose father died fifteen years earlier during an attempt to climb the Citadel, is determined to accompany him, with the help of his uncle. Winter also manages to hire a guide from a neighboring village and competitor, Emil Saxo. The roped party of four men then begins the ascent of the still untouched summit.
Genres: Adventure Drama Family
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-11-10
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San Demetrio London
Overview: British drama documentary from 1943, based on the true story of the 1940 rescue of the tanker MV San Demetrio by parts of her own crew after she had been set afire in the middle of the Atlantic by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer and then had been abandoned. When one of the lifeboats drifted back to the burning tanker the day after, and found that she still hadn't exploded, they decided to board her and put out the fires. Eventually, they managed to start the engine again and decided to try to reach Britain against all odds.
Genres: Action Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-12-07
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Gift Horse
Overview: Compton Bennett's war drama The Gift Horse follows the fortunes of ageing destroyer The Ballantrae and her crew from the time they come together in 1940 until the climactic raid on occupied St Nazaire in 1942. Trevor Howard plays Lt Cmdr Hugh Alginon Fraser, the newly appointed captain, back in service after having left the navy following a court martial.
Genres: Adventure War Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-06-01
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Edward, My Son
Overview: Following the death of his only son, a ruthless businessman reflects on his life, his unhappy marriage and his questionable parenting skills.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-03-01
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Cage of Gold
Overview: The love that Judy, a young painter, feels for Alan, a promising doctor to whom she is engaged, falters when Bill, an old friend, suddenly appears.
Genres: Drama Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-10-23
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The Jokers
Overview: Brothers Michael and David Tremayne decide to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, not for criminal purposes, but to make themselves famous.
Genres: Comedy Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-05-15
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The Pickwick Papers
Overview: The Pickwick Club sends Mr. Pickwick and a group of friends to travel across England and to report back on the interesting things they find...
Genres: Comedy Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-11-14
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Perilous Assignment
Overview: "Perilous Assignment" is an episode of ABC's Walt Disney Presents. Disney loved to show viewers behind the scenes of the daring shoots of its theatrically released or TV shows. The theme of the episode is the making of his next film, The Third Man on the Mountain, an adaptation of James Ramsey Ullman's novel Banner in the Sky, based on the true story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. Walt Disney will not be limited to a simple promotional making-of. He offers to meet exceptional people, including the French mountain guide Gaston Rébuffat. The latter will show climbing techniques and then reveal breathtaking images of his ascents of steep cliffs with a client for the ascent of Mont-Blanc, filmed for the occasion. In 1958, Walt Disney will therefore offer him to be deputy director on the high mountain scenes of the film "The Third Man on the Mountain".
Genres: Documentary Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-11-06
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Broken Journey
Overview: A plane flying over the Swiss Alps develops engine trouble and is forced to crash-land on a glacier. Unable to radio for help because of damaged batteries and with limited food supplies, the survivors must come to a decision -- whether to stay and wait for help they believe is coming or to leave the shelter of the wrecked plane and set out in bad weather to try to reach civilization.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-04-14
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The Small Voice
Overview: A man and his wife take to their house some men they rescue from a road crash and then find they have picked up some dangerous criminals.
Genres: Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-11-27
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In Which We Serve
Overview: The story of the HMS Torrin, from its construction to its sinking in the Mediterranean during action in World War II. The ship's first and only commanding officer is Captain E.V. Kinross, who trains his men not only to be loyal to him and the country, but—most importantly—to themselves.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-09-17
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Destiny of a Spy
Overview: A veteran Russian spy is brought out of retirement to be sent to the West to do an important sabotage job. However, he finds himself falling in love with an attractive British double agent.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-10-27
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Trottie True
Overview: Tottie True is a gay-90s British music-hall performer who has her sights set on moving from rags to riches, who loses her heart to the pure-and-true blue balloonist, Sid Skinner, but continues her upward search on improving her social status. She finally settles for Lord Landon Digby who has lots of assets and a very-stiff upper lip. She gets a lot of the latter and very little of the former, and decides Sid might have been a better choice.
Genres: Music Drama Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-09-29
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The Big Sleep
Overview: Private eye Philip Marlowe investigates a case of blackmail involving the two wild daughters of a rich general, a pornographer and a gangster.
Genres: Crime Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-03-13
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Victoria Regina
Overview: 1961 adaptation of "Victoria Regina".
Genres: History Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-11-30
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David Copperfield
Overview: A made for TV movie of the Charles Dickens' classic novel, turns Dickens' picaresque tale into an extended flashback, with David Copperfield Robin Phillips as a young man, brooding on a deserted beach, recalling his youth. The characters are all trotted out in choppy flashbacks as David remembers his life as a young orphan, brought to London and passed around from relatives, to guardians, to boarding school.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-12-01
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Pygmalion
Overview: Can Professor Higgins transform cockney flower girl Eliza Dolittle into a lady by teaching her to speak properly?
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1963-02-06
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Brandy for the Parson
Overview: A young couple get involved with a smuggler
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-05-02
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The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Overview: The Spanish explorer Pizarro captures the Inca god-chief Atahualpa and promises to free him upon the delivery of a hoard of gold. But Pizarro finds himself torn between his desire for conquest and his sense of honor after friendship and respect develops between captive and captor.
Genres: Adventure Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-10-05
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The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Overview: The Spanish explorer Pizarro captures the Inca god-chief Atahualpa and promises to free him upon the delivery of a hoard of gold. But Pizarro finds himself torn between his desire for conquest and his sense of honor after friendship and respect develops between captive and captor.
Genres: Adventure Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-10-05
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The Vikings
Overview: Einar, brutal son of Ragnar and future heir to his throne, tangles with Eric, a wily slave, for the hand of a beautiful English maiden.
Genres: Adventure History Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-06-11
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The Net
Overview: A secret jet aircraft capable of traveling three times the speed of sound is being developed by a group of scientists. On the day of the test flight, one of the scientists dies in a mysterious accident, and there are many arguments concerning the flight itself; some think it should be ground-controlled while Heathley (James Donald) wants it to be a manned flight with himself at the controls. Conflict also arises when one of his fellow scientists, taking advantage of Heathley's lack of attention toward his wife, Lydia (Phyllis Calvert), makes some moves on her. Then there is the question of just who is the enemy agent on the project.
Genres: Science Fiction Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-02-09
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Conduct Unbecoming
Overview: A company of British soldiers in colonial India is shaken when the widow of their most honored hero is assaulted. A young officer must defend a fellow lieutenant from the charges in an unusual court-martial, while investigating the deepening mystery behind the attack.
Genres: Crime Drama Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-10-04
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Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood
Overview: A retrospective of the films of Britain's Hammer Studios, renowned for making stylish horror films in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Included are clips from Hammer productions and interviews with actors, actresses, directors and producers who worked on these films.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1987-06-26
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One of Our Aircraft Is Missing
Overview: On its way back from a raid on the city of Stuttgart, Germany, a British bomber is shot down over Nazi-held Holland. Parachuting into Dutch farmlands under cover of darkness, the six-member crew connects with members of the local resistance, who shelter the Brits from their Nazi inquisitors as they make their way towards freedom.
Genres: War Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-04-24
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White Corridors
Overview: White Corridors was based on Yeoman Hospital, a novel by Helen Ashton. Told episodically, the story concentrates on the day-to-day activities in a busy hospital, where research pathologist Neil Marriner (James Donald) conducts experiments in the hopes of curing diseases impervious to penicillin. Marriner is aided in this endeavor by lady surgeon Dr. Sophie Dean (Googie Withers), who happens to be in love with him. After a tragedy occurs for which Marriner holds himself responsible, the film builds steadily to an exciting climax involving a untested -- and potentially dangerous -- serum. The top-rank British supporting cast includes Barry Jones, Moira Lister, Petula Clark, Basil Radford, Dagmar (later Dana) Wynter, Bernard Lee, and, in a minor role, future "Dr. Who" Patrick Troughton.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-01-12
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Doc in the Box
Overview: Two bungling robbers try to play doctors at a 24hr. clinic while they wait for the time lock safe to open and have to treat the crazies that come out after midnight.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2015-01-15
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